Projecting Knowledge: The Magic Lantern as a Tool for Mediated Science Communication in the Netherlands, 1880-1940
Subproject Visual Instruction

The subproject “Visual Instruction” is part of the broader “Projecting Knowledge” project, and is centred around the question: How was the optical lantern used in academic teaching in the Netherlands between 1880 and 1940 and how did it affect pedagogical practices in different disciplines? The main sources that are used within this research are the surviving slide collections of Dutch universities, as well as lecture notes by professors or students from particular disciplines. The goal is to use these sources to reconstruct the actual lectures that were given with the aid of the optical lantern and to grasp the value that was given to this visual way of teaching. How did it shape the value of the scientific knowledge that was being transferred? How was trust given to this type of visual instruction? How was it logistically arranged at universities etc. The outcome of this research project will be answering the research question through a series of in-depth analysis of surviving slide collections together with the surviving documentation provided by professors and students alike. It will study the way in which the lantern’s affordances shaped the lecturing process and assess the impact of the optical lantern on teaching practices by contextualising its finding in relation to wider theoretical debates on visual instruction at that time.